EA to publish new Mercenaries title

Electronic Arts has signed a worldwide publishing deal for Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, the forthcoming PlayStation 3 title from independent developer Pandemic.

The previous Mercenaries game was published in 2005 on Xbox and PS2, and was critically acclaimed for combining violent action with an open world setting. At present the sequel is down as a PS3 exclusive, although rumours of an Xbox 360 version persist.

"Mercenaries 2: World in Flames will set the bar for explosive, open world action games in the next generation, and everyone at Pandemic is excited that fans will be able to get their hands on it later this year," said Pandemic CEO Andrew Goldman.

According to EA, the game will be out in time for the "2007 holiday season".